The present invention relates to a character processing apparatus and a character processing method respectively for generating the output pattern of a character if the character specified by a character code is output for example and a record medium recording a character processing program for instructing a computer to execute the processing of the character.
Heretofore, a character processing apparatus which 9generates a pattern of two-dimensional arrangement in a document image based upon character data showing outline thereof if the document image composed of a character including a mark and others is output to an output device such as a printer and a display is known. Such a character processing apparatus extracts character data specified by a character code of a character to be output from stored location thereof, generates a pattern in a format such as a bit map according to the resolution of an output device and temporarily stores the generated pattern in a storage area to use it when a document image is generated (synthesized).
The more patterns are stored in a storage area, the more processing speed when a document image is generated is enhanced. However, a storage area is limited though the size of the storage area differs depending upon the configuration of an individual processing apparatus and others. Thus, to store more patterns in a storage area, a generated pattern is compressed.
However, as processing for expanding a compressed pattern is required to obtain a desired pattern when a document image is generated though many generated patterns can be stored in a storage area according to a method for compressing and storing a pattern, there is a case that processing speed when a document image is generated is not greatly enhanced as a result.
As one of techniques for solving such processing speed, technique disclosed in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 7-44539 can be given. To explain the technique, first, when a generated pattern is stored, a pattern frequently used in a generated document image is not compressed, while a pattern seldom used is compressed and second, when a document image is generated, expanding processing is executed only if a desired pattern is compressed. Hereby, many patterns can be stored in a storage area and when a document image is generated, time required for extracting a desired pattern is reduced.
However, according to such prior art, for a frequently-used character pattern, though it can be processed at high speed, it requires a large storage area because it is not compressed. In the meantime, for a character pattern seldom used, though it does not require a large storage area, compression processing is required when the pattern is stored and further, expansion processing is required when a document image is generated.
Therefore, in view of processing from the generation of a pattern to the generation of a document image, it is conceivable that the improvement of processing speed, the reduction of an occupied storage area and others cannot be expected so much.